That past six weeks on tennis courts of South Carolina were good for Edwina Pope DeChamplain, a native of Statesville and graduate of Scotts High School in 1953. DeChamplain, 76, won the United States Tennis Association’s 75-and-over state championship held from Nov. 1-4 at Wild Dunes Resort near Charleston, S.C.
DeChamplain was also on a team that captured the Sectional Senior Championship at Hilton Head. The sectional championship featured teams from South Carolina as well as Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana.
“This was the most exciting thing I’ve done in the last 40 years,” DeChamplain said. “I’ve never had this much success in one month in my life.”
She is the only champion in the 70-and-over and 75-and-over divisions in her area. She played the 70s tournament at the 4.0 level and the 75-year-old tournament at the 3.5 level. In USTA tournaments, players can play and age group down as long as they play a level up.
Lisa Popoff was DeChamplain’s partner in the 75-and-over tournament, and Nancy Caulder was her partner for the 70-and-over tournament.
“To accomplish this and be 76 years old, and I played with the big girls is great,” DeChamplain said. “They’ve been playing for years and playing USTA for years.”
DeChamplain picked up tennis at 45 years old. She said she started because she moved into a new neighborhood and thought it would be a quick way to meet neighbors.
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